Homeschooling: Keeping it affordable

I don't spend a fortune on our supplies!!!  I am impressed with the budgets some families allow themselves for homeschooling.  I don't want to sound cheap or like it wouldn't be worth it,...but I haven't seen fit to budget that much per year yet!  I guess by not having any private schools available nearby to have even considered the option, I felt like we could homeschool pretty inexpensively and still do a great job.

I have been to one homeschool convention.  It is in OKC, OK each April or May, and it was wonderful. Myself and two other pregnant moms made the 4 hour drive (left at 6 AM) there, walked around all day, then drove another 4 hours home that evening.  WOW!  Maybe it wasn't just the exhibit hall full of vendors that day, but I was blown away.  I love getting to look through the pages of books and handle the manipulatives myself.  I found some great things that I have loved to use, and enjoyed not paying shipping on my purchases and some of the orders I placed there.  The fellowship was great, and it was encouraging to meet lots of other homeschoolers.  I didn't even make it to any of the talks, but hope to go again when we have more time.

I have also found some of their books and supplies on e-bay, as I often try to save money by buying second hand curriculum.  It is usually gently used, in great shape and saves me a ton of money!!!  The only problem is you may have to wait for a deal.  I usually figure out what I want, and what it would cost me new.  Then I go to eBay and see what is available. Always check the condition and if it is a newer or older edition.  I think that matters more for some subjects than others!

If I don't have time to wait for a good deal on a specific item, then I usually try Rainbow Resource.  They have great prices and free shipping on orders over $50.  I usually keep enough stuff on my wishlist, I can justify an order about any time.  They have great customer service, and offer a huge variety of items and curricula.  They have good reviews to help you make decisions, too.

I also have taken advantage of some local homeschool co-op sales and giveaways.  Having a network of friends that homeschool means you may be able to buy the math curriculum that didn't work for their family, or get you some free books from a family whose children are grown.

Occasionally, I have paid full price for some books. Sort of.  I have purchased a few items from Mardel.  I love Mardel, because you can open and thumb through the books and see if they are what you want or not. Their prices are reasonable, and I like to support a Christian and (sort of) local business.  If I need something quickly, and I am in the big town anyway, I often buy what I need there.  I have also purchased some visual aids and supplies from them.  I also love to laminate big item there!  It's much more economical, makes things last forever (almost), and is quicker than one page at a time at home.  I have also got some pretty valuable coupons from time-to-time.  If you frequent their stores I recommend you sign up on their e-mail list to get special offers.

Another place to look for everything is AMAZON.  I have such mixed emotions about shopping online.

I like to support local businesses (and I do).  But we live 45 minutes from the nearest basic Wal-Mart, and about 85 miles from Target, SAMs club, and supercenter Wal-Mart (technically there is a closer supercenter, but then you pay taxes on your groceries and don't have many other places to go).  I do not have the time or money to make a trip to Amarillo for every little thing.  We are usually there every 4-6 weeks for some sort of appointment, and I usually try to stock up on some stuff when we get there.  Our stores here in the middle of nowhere are great.  I am thankful to have them, but they have limited selection and higher prices.  I'm OK with that on some things, but I refuse to pay too much, too often.  So I have learned to love being able to order diapers or toilet paper online instead of lugging stuff home in the car. 

I routinely use Amazon as a gauge for prices of items, and have been surprised at what all you can find out there.  So yes I have even bought school books there.  They are also great for office supplies and musical instrument needs (books, rosin, metronomes, etc).  If you have a prime account, you get free 2-day shipping on many items, which means I can get them in a reasonable amount of time, too.

Not just any dogs...

I'll bet you'd never guess this dog is a rough, tough cowdog - or she can be at times. When necessary, she is quite content to be dressed up as a princess. This is Boots. She is a 4 year-old Border Collie and Catahoula cross. She is a mean girl to cattle that aren't where she wants them to be. But not for little girls. 

This is Missy. She is a year old Hangin' Tree Cowdog. She was only 6-8 months old when this was taken. She didn't care for her royal robe as much, but was happy to wear her crown!  Don't ask me what was going on with Katy's hair or clothes in this picture. I think that's what you look like after wrestling a doggie princess into her crown. Makes me think of a book the girls love called "Rufferella".  Anyone else read it?

Mcleod Homeschool for Girls: Handwriting

We have used Handwriting Without Tears from the beginning.  It came recommended from some friends, and I also knew some teachers in the public school system that had used it.  It uses multiple ways for kids to learn their letters.  For the auditory learners, they have songs and rhymes that tell you where to start, how to make the letters, and such.  For the visual learners there are great illustrations and demonstrations of the movements needed to make each letter.  There are also wooden pieces or clay you can "form" into the letters.  This is also great for the kinesthic learners that need to "build the letter."

There is a pre-school book that has pre-writing skills and forming some capital letters.  Kindergarten teaches all the capital letters.  First grade covers capitals and lowercase manuscript.  Second perfects these letters and makes the students start writing smaller and paying more attention to word and letter spacing, punctuation, etc.  There is also a version that introduces cursive at the end of second grade.  Third grade is cursive writing, and we have yet to check out the fourth grade books yet.

I ordered the teachers edition, wooden letter pieces, and student books from their website.  I now try to order a couple of years of books each time, and order both girls supplies at one time to save on shipping.

I have also added Presidential Penmanship.  It is a great way to combine some American History and practice writing neatly.  I purchased a DVD that is compatible with the HWT that I use and then print out the pages with different assignments/formats for each grade level.  The quotes get longer and deeper (in meaning) with successive grade levels, and the way they write them gets more difficult each day.  I have used this as a supplement to their daily assignments and think it breaks the routine a little.

At one point, my oldest daughter seemed to be getting very burnt out on handwriting.  It took her a long time to finish it and she would drag it out for a long time.  I decided to consider the writing she did for her spelling and grammar to be her penmanship practice for those days, as long as she did it neatly.  This also allowed time for my younger daughter to "catch up" to her.  Consequently, I think Katy really could be writing in cursive by now, but haven't worried too much about it yet.

I have been cautious about putting them both on the same level for progressive subjects.  We have always done our science, history, Spanish, and Bible lessons together, because I felt they were close enough in age, and it simplified my life.  However, I didn't want them to be in the same place for math and reading, because I worried it would be too easy for the oldest and/or too difficult for the youngest, and it might make the younger daughter feel like she wasn't as good as her older sister, when she really wasn't ready for the material yet.  Do you follow?